


The View from the Afternoon

by WhiteDalvaria



Series: We Are Young [2]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Fluff, Humor, My babies are cursing now, Other, RT Baby AU, Shoutout to Burnie Burns errybody, TT_TT, They're not babies anymore tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-10 07:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15944729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhiteDalvaria/pseuds/WhiteDalvaria
Summary: Nine years has passed - Gavin Free is now a freshman in high school. What adventures await our favorite Brit and his two best friends?





	1. Summer's End

Most fourteen-year-old boys hated going outside. Gavin Free, for the most part, was not one of them.

Having been gifted a new camera for his fourteenth birthday, Gavin had found himself spending most of his time with Michael and Jeremy, filming things in slow-motion. After he passed his final year of middle school, Gavin had planned his entire summer. The only time he’d spent at home was spent eating, sleeping, and making sure Geoff and Griffon knew he wasn’t off killing himself for a laugh.

Gavin was currently standing in the park, camera pointed on Jeremy and Michael, who were fighting in Mortal Kombat style. “Okay… And stop.” The Brit ensured the footage was recorded, and then stowed the camera in it’s carrying bag. “I’ll edit that later. That’s enough for today.”

“Fucking finally.” Michael breathed heavily, sweat pouring off his forehead. “You chose the worst fuckin’ day to film a fight scene, idiot.”

“Yeah, it’s hot as balls,” Jeremy agreed, flopping onto the grass. “Can we go chill in a cooler for a while?”

Michael narrowed his eyes menacingly. “Was that a fucking pun, Dooley?”

“Maybe it was, _Mogar_. What are you gonna do about it?”

Gavin stood in the background cackling as Michael and Jeremy started to wrestle. After a few more moments, both men rolled onto their backs, exhausted. “Come on,” Gavin offered his hand to Michael, who took it gratefully. “Let’s go back to my place. We can steal the Xbox while the video uploads to my computer.”

“All right, but only if Griffon let’s us eat a shit ton of snacks,” Jeremy joked, doing a front flip to pick himself off the ground.

“Griffy won’t care as long as we don’t break anything.” Gavin waved him off. “Race you back to the house?”

“Hell yeah!” Michael grinned. “Last one there has to get on top of the roof and sing a shitty song.” After laughing, he took off, leaving Gavin and Jeremy in the dust.

Gavin and Jeremy took off after their friend. “Get back here, you bloody tosspot!”

\--

Gavin had lost the race, so as per the bet, he climbed to the roof of his house and sang a horribly-tuned version of a Taylor Swift song. He’d only gotten through the first verse when Geoff and Griffon pulled into the driveway, immediately noticing Gavin putting on an impromptu concert. “Gavin David, get your ass down from there!” Griffon demanded. “Unless you’d like to break your arm again.”

“It was Michael’s idea!” he whined, but he slid off the roof, landing awkwardly but painlessly in a bush. “It was a bet!”

Griffon sighed, holding her head in her hands. “Give me the strength to deal with stubborn fourteen-year-old boys…” she muttered, shaking her head and walking inside.

Geoff yanked Gavin from the bush, a stupid smirk on his face. “Just listen to your mother. She doesn’t want you to get hurt, and I’m not taking you to the hospital unless you’re dying. I don’t think they’d be able to do anything for the brand damage anyway – the deed’s already been done.”

“Geoffrey!” Gavin shoved Geoff away and watched the elder laugh as he went inside. “Well, at least I still did it. Let’s go inside; I’m hungry, and Geoff’ll take the Xbox if I don’t get it first.

As they opened the door, Jeremy hopped onto the couch and yelled “Dibs on first player!”

“Fuck’s sake Jeremy!”

“Gavin, language!” Griffon shouted from the kitchen.

“Sorry Griffy.” Gavin bounded into the cupboard. “Can I take a few of the Zebra Cakes?”

“Just take the whole box, since I know you boys will devour them all.” Griffon chuckled. “There’s some soda in the fridge too but go easy on those. I’m assuming Michael and Jeremy are staying over tonight. Dinner is in a couple hours, and if you get yourselves full on snacks, you’re still eating.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. I love you, _mummy_.”

“Oh no, what did you do now?”

“Oh, I haven’t done anything yet.” Gavin laughed and headed out to the living room, watching Michael and Jeremy set up Halo 3.

“He’s more of a handful now than he was when he was a toddler,” Geoff noted, sauntering into the kitchen. He opened a cupboard and whined. “Aww man, did the boys take all the Zebra Cakes?”

Griffon smacked Geoff on the shoulder with a spatula. “And you’re just as bad as they are.”

“Ow! That’s not fair. I don’t have a weapon!”

“Oh god, please don’t have sex in the kitchen!” Gavin shouted.

“Gavin!”

\--

It was 2 AM when Griffon stepped into the living room again, seeing Gavin, Michael, and Jeremy still glued to the Xbox. “How late do you three plan on staying up?”

“Not much longer, I promise.” Gavin yawned. “We’re not even tired yet.”

“Uh huh, sure.” She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed back down the hall. “It’s late, so don’t stay up too much later, okay?”

“All right.” When Griffon disappeared, Gavin turned to Michael and Jeremy. “Your parents know you guys are here, right?”

“My mom knows I practically live here,” Michael answered, before cursing under his breath as the match ended. “Dammit, Jeremy!”

“Get owned, bitch.” Jeremy shouted quietly, setting his controller down in victory. “Mom knows I’m here, don’t worry.”

Gavin kicked the controllers under the TV stand and turned the Xbox off. “Let’s head in for the night, then. I don’t want Griffy to start throwing things at us.”

“Right.”

\--

In the weeks that followed, Gavin felt the days fly by as he tried to spend his days productively. Suddenly, the last day of summer was thrust upon him, and he sat on the monkey bars at the park, watching Jeremy attempt to do backflips while Michael threw rocks at him.

“Get down here Gav!” Jeremy shouted, landing on his stomach for the fourth time. “We’ve got one day of summer left before we go back to hell on earth! We should do something!”

Gavin snorted, jumping down. “Well, what should we do then? The arcades are probably full of six-year-olds, Griffy and Geoff wanted some alone time today, and I left my camera at home.”

“Well, we can start an underground orgy club,” Michael suggested. “Or we can go to my house and use the pool so Mom doesn’t keep telling me that she cleaned it for nothing.”

“I don’t have my trunks on me,” Gavin whined.

“You’re wearing shorts,” Jeremy pointed out. “You’ll be fine.”

Gavin crossed his arms. “Fine then. But if Geoff yells at me for tracking water in the house…”

“Yeah, yeah. You can blame me. Let’s go.”

 

As soon as the trio had gotten the okay from Michael’s mother, they ran out into the back yard, diving into the pool the moment they ripped their shirts off. Gavin slipped on the now-wet surface and fell in but laughed as he resurfaced.

“Okay,” Michael started. “Marco Polo or Atomic Whirlpool? Because either way, Gavin will end up dizzy, and that’s funny as fuck.”

“Hey!” the Brit protested.

Jeremy swam between the two of them. “Or, we can do belly-flops, because those are fucking awesome.”

Michael and Gavin shared a look and nodded. “Okay, but you go first.”

“Dammit.”

\--

It felt like seconds had gone by when Gavin realized he had to go home. He found himself staring out the window, watching the dark evening sky. “Griffy, do you think I wasted my summer?”

“Absolutely not. You’ve been the biggest pain in my ass this summer, so you must be doing something right.” Griffon laughed. “You’re just worried about starting high school, aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little.” Gavin flopped onto the floor and rolled so he was facing Griffon. “High school’s gonna be full of weird people. And making new friends will be harder than before because high school kids are pricks.”

“Well, last I checked, you were a prick.”

“Hey!”

“And at least you have Michael and Jeremy.” The female smiled warmly. “You’re smarter than you let yourself believe, you’ve got an incredible personality, and you have two amazing friends. Just let everyone see who you really are, and you’ll be fine.”

“I guess you’re right.” The Brit laughed off his nervousness. “High school’s got nothing on me! I’m the mighty Vav!”

Griffon snorted. “Well, the mighty Vav better get his mighty ass ready for bed or he’s going to be a mighty grumpy prick in the morning.”

“Fine, fine.” He gave Griffon a hug. “Thanks, Griffy.”

“No problem, Gavin.”


	2. Definitely Not High School Musical

Gavin was not looking forward to starting high school.

The moment Gavin stepped into his new school, he turned around to walk back out. Michael and Jeremy, however, prevented his escape. The duo grabbed a hold of him and turned him around, shoving him into the school. “Guys, this is nuts. Can we just pretend high school doesn’t exist?”

“I wish,” Michael replied with a huff. “But look at it this way; high school is only four years. After this, we’re free.”

“And look at it this way; they say it gets better after freshman year.” Jeremy sighed. “Soon we’ll be seniors tearing this place up.”

“I hope so.” Gavin. “Griffon made fun of me last night because I told her I was afraid of starting high school. I mean, she still offered me advice, but still.”

Michael snorted, hiding a laugh. “Dude, _I_ would have made fun of you if you’d told me that.”

“Thanks a lot, asshole.” Gavin started walking slowly down the halls, ignoring the older students who plowed through. To distract himself, he asked. “Do you ever wonder if you could feel clouds if you were high enough in the sky?”

Before Michael could answer, an unknown, accented laugh echoed through the hallway. “What kind of dumb question is that?”

The first thing Gavin noticed when he turned around was the dark mop of hair the other kid had. The blonde Brit feigned offense and crossed his arms. “It’s a reasonable question!”

“If you’re five, maybe.” Finally done laughing, the dark-haired kid held out his hand. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. That was rude. I’m Dan. Dan Gruchy.”

Gavin shook his hand and smiled. “Gavin Free. Those two minge pots behind me are Michael and Jeremy.”

“Nice to meet you, I guess,” Michael muttered. Gavin could see Michael sizing Dan up as he glared at the other male.

“It’s a pleasure.” Jeremy smiled. “Ignore Michael; he’s an asshole.”

“Fuck you, Jeremy!”

Gavin shook his head and chuckled. “Never mind them; they’re idiots.”

Michael roared and trapped Gavin in a headlock, earning a loud squeal from the male. “We’re idiots? You’re the fucking knob head that just asked about feeling clouds!” The ginger struggled as Gavin wiggled free, and the tall Brit knocked Michael over, initiating a wrestling match in the middle of the hallway.

“Hey, you two!” a loud voice screeched, causing the boys to freeze in place. “Get up off the floor and quit the roughhousing! If I see it again, you two are going straight to the office!”

While Gavin scrambled to his feet and muttered a ‘yes sir’, Michael’s eyes narrowed challengingly. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Mr. Burns, the principal here,” he sneered back. “Don’t get cheeky with me or I’ll give you a detention. I don’t care if its your first day or not.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Michael grunted and walked in the opposite direction, Gavin, Jeremy, and Dan all following him. “Can you fucking believe that guy? He sounds like a dictator.”

Jeremy turned so he was facing Mr. Burns and walking backwards. “Shout out to Mr. Burns!” he shouted, turning back around before he was seen.

“He’s going to hate us,” the angry redhead muttered. “Prick.”

“No, he’s going to hate you.” Gavin poked Michael’s cheek and laughed. “I kind of like living, and if I get in too much trouble, Griffy will kill me.”

Michael snorted, sticking his tongue out at Gavin. “You’ll be fine. You’ve gotta stop being scared of mommy sometime, Gavvy-wavvy.”

“Oh, come off it!” Gavin shoved Michael and glanced back at Dan. “What school did you go to? I don’t remember seeing you last year.”

“I only moved here a few months ago,” Dan replied. “Lived in England my whole life. Mum wanted to live out here for some reason, but I don’t see why. Most of the people I’ve met so far are complete knobs.

Gavin laughed. “I’m afraid we’re not much different.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t really get better, honestly. I got lucky when I met these two.” He gestured over to Michael and Jeremy, who were taking turns whistling at girls that walked by. “Well, sometimes I feel lucky, anyway. Like I said, we’re complete knobs, too.”

Jeremy opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by the warning bell. “Fuck, we have to go to class.”

Dan sighed. “Can’t we be in one of those schools on drama tv shows? Like, they never actually go to class.”

“That’d be the dream,” Michael said with a grunt.

“Yeah, really.” Jeremy rolled his eyes. “I’ve got Algebra with Mr. Heyman…? What kind of last name is Heyman?”

“Hey! We’ve got Algebra together!” Michael and Jeremy fist-bumped. “What do you have, Gavin?”

“Chemistry with Mr. Haywood,” Gavin chirped happily. “I love science.”

Michael snorted. “The one subject that actually makes you sound smart.” He laughed, walking off with Jeremy in tow. “See you later, Gav.”

“Later!” Gavin faced Dan once more. “What do you have?”

“Chem. Looks like we’re stuck together.” Dan chuckled. “Want to be lab partners when it comes down to it?”

“Totally.”

\--

Most of the morning had passed by uneventfully; while Gavin enjoyed chemistry and getting to know Dan better, none of his friends shared his next few classes, making them pass by at a snail’s pace. He was grateful that his classmates were nice, or at least uninterested in him, giving him peace of mind. When lunch came around, Gavin met up with Dan in the hall. “You headed to lunch?” he inquired.

“Nah, I’m in the second lunch.” Dan frowned. “I’ll see you later, though.”

“Bums. Well, see you then.” Gavin waved off his new friend and headed into the cafeteria, where Michael and Jeremy were sitting with someone else he’d never met before. “Who’s the bird?” he inquired.

“Well first off, she’s a human, not a bird. And this is Lindsay.” Michael nodded. “The dumbest and coolest bitch on the entire planet. Linds, this is the stupid British fuck that I was talking about earlier.

Gavin snorted. “Fuck you, Michael.” He turned to Lindsay. “Hi, I’m Gavin. Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.” Lindsay smiled. “Let me guess, you’re in Mr. Haywood’s homeroom too?”

Pulling his schedule out of his pocket to check, he nodded. “I’m guessing you’re not, by the sound of it?”

Instead of letting Lindsay speak, Michael started snickering. “No way. She’s stuck with Ms. Jenkins.”

“Ms. Jenkins is nice,” Lindsay defended.

“Yeah, but she’s the principal’s girlfriend, and she’s fucking dumb.” Michael laughed maniacally, ignoring a teacher who scolded him about his language. “Well, okay, she’s not the dumbest teacher here, but she’s far from the smartest.”

Gavin just rolled his eyes. “I just had her for Home Ec, actually. She spent a lot of time telling stories about her youth than actually teaching.”

Michael put a hand on the Brit’s shoulder. “Those are the kind of teachers that we call the good ones, Gav. They tell stories all class and give you passing marks even if you don’t do anything. I wish I had Home Ec this semester.”

Jeremy laughed. “I had Home Ec with Gav,” he noted. “I almost fell asleep.”

“You should’ve seen Ms. Jenkins try to keep him awake. It was top.”

“To you!” the short male replied.

Gavin just waved Jeremy off and turned back to Michael. “Do you have PE last period?”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, what of it- You have PE that period too, don’t you? Aww, dude, I’m going to fucking destroy you!”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Gavin gulped. “Hopefully none of you have PE that period?”

Jeremy shook his head, but Lindsay grinned. “I do. Sorry, but I’ll crush you. You don’t look that dangerous, to be honest.”

“He’s more dangerous to himself than others. Does that count?” Michael cackled as he dodged a swipe from Gavin. “What? I was just sayin’.”

Gavin just grunted, shifting in his spot. “Can we just go home now? This day is dragging.”

“No way. Besides, if you went home, I’d have no one to humiliate in PE, and Lindsay will probably do a good job of humiliating herself.”

Lindsay took a good-natured swipe at the redhead. “You’ve only known me for a few hours and you’re already making assumptions about me? Smooth moves, Michael Jones.”

“Oh, go fuck already,” Jeremy teased. “Cue the wedding bells. Do you, Michael Jones, take Lindsay Tuggey as your-”

“We’re not getting married, asshole!” Michael threw someone’s empty milk carton at Jeremy’s head. “I don’t want her cooties.”

Gavin laughed and stood as the lunch bell rang. “Let’s go to homeroom and get it over with. Only four more classes until we can go home.”

“If you’re that eager to go home on the first day, just imagine what the rest of the year will be like.” Michael snickered. “Come on Jer, you slow fuck. See you later, Linds.”

Lindsay waved as Jeremy pushed through a crowd of students to reach them. “This school is crap. I need to grow another foot.”

“Come on now, ‘Lil J’.” Gavin snorted.

Jeremy shoved Gavin. “Fuck you, string bean.”

\--

Gavin didn’t realize how dangerous Michael was in competitive sports until he was standing face-to-face with the ginger. Given how aggressive Michael could be at everything else, Gavin shouldn’t have been surprised. They were only playing a simple game of dodgeball; something the class could agree on since none of them had acceptable PE attire yet, but Gavin was crap at sports, and dodgeball was no exception. The Brit was sure he had several welts on his body, and possibly a few that hadn’t formed yet.

“Come on, Gavin! You could use a workout!” Michael challenged. “Stop being such a baby!”

“I’ll stop being a baby when this game becomes fun!” Gavin yelled back, squeaking in pain as another ball nailed him in the head. “Bollocks!”

“Good shot, Lindsay!” Michael doubled over in laughter, giving Gavin the perfect opportunity to nail him in the balls with a dodgeball. “Gavin!” he squeaked, rolling over in pain. “No fair, you were out.”

“There’s always time for a bit of revenge,” Gavin taunted, helping his friend off the ground. He released a sigh of relief as the end-of-day bell rang. “Oh, thank God today’s over.”

Once the ginger regained his composure, he simply shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad. Slow, sure, but not that bad.”

“I just don’t like it here. If it weren’t for you, Jeremy, Dan, and Lindsay, this would be unbearable.” Gavin shrugged, heading to his locker to grab his bag. “Mr. Heyman is insane; we have bloody homework on the first day!”

“Well, that’s because he’s an asshole.” Michael rolled his eyes. “But whatever. Wanna ditch the bus and walk home? Jeremy’s mom picked him up after fifth period and Lindsay and Dan ride a different bus because they’re dumb.”

“Sure.” Gavin nodded and made his way out the front doors. “I guess today wasn’t so bad. But I’m not looking forward to the rest of the year.”

“Or the three years after that?”

“Shut up, Michael.”


	3. They Call it a 'Crush' For A Reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry it took me so long to get to this. Work has been killing me. And guess who starts two jobs soon? D:

Gavin felt like the odd one out, having not shown any interest in dating. Michael constantly flirted with Lindsay, though he denied it, and Jeremy had become friendly with a girl named Kat. But Gavin kept to himself.

At least, until he met _her_.

Aaryn Zech was the prettiest girl he’d ever met, and among the top ten prettiest girls in school. Unfortunately, she was also incredibly popular, which made things difficult for the Brit. Why would a girl like Arryn ever show interest in a guy like Gavin?

Gavin had tried talking to his friends about her, but Michael and Jeremy weren’t exactly the ‘talking’ type when it came to girls and other teenage problems. They picked on him for his little crush, often pushing him in her direction as she walked by. Often, Gavin was ignored, though from time-to-time, Arryn would scoff at him and carry on. It was disheartening, to say the least.

“Just go up to her and chat a bit if you want her to notice you,” Dan had suggested. “I’m sure if she doesn’t like you, she’ll tell you.

Michael just laughed. “Dude just say something. If she punches you, she’s not interested.”

“You need to learn how to flirt,” Jeremy advised. “The ladies love a smooth-talker. Give her something to remember. And if she doesn’t like you after that, then move on.”

Gavin shrugged. “I just don’t want her to hate me…” As he spotted her out of the corner of his eye, he felt his heart do the same flips it had been doing since he first saw her.

\--

“Geoff, I don’t understand girls,” Gavin blurted one night.

Geoff choked on his beer but turned to face his son. “Well, uh, that was unexpected. What don’t you understand?”

“Everything!” The Brit flopped onto the floor belly-first. “How can someone so beautiful be so hard to understand? It’s like trying to solve a Rubix cube with your eyes closed!”

“Awww, does little Gavvy-wavvy have a crush?” Geoff reached down and pinched Gavin’s cheeks, earning swats from the blonde boy. “Come on, now. At least tell me her name.”

“Arryn.” Gavin sat up, brushing some hair out of his face. “And she’s really pretty. When she’s with her friends, she seems nice, but doesn’t even look in my direction. She’s one of the popular girls.”

Geoff just laughed. “And welcome to teenage love, Gavin. There’s going to be a lot you don’t understand now, and more that you’ll never understand. I’ve been with Griffon for a long time, but I don’t always understand everything. It’s how you approach it.”

“But this is a problem. I don’t know what to do!” Gavin sighed. “I really want to tell her I like her, but I don’t want her to feel like I’m harassing her. And I don’t want her to laugh at me.”

“You’re afraid of being rejected. It’s normal, Gav.” Geoff ruffled Gavin’s hair. “I’d tell you to ask Griffon, but I’m not sure she’ll have the answers either. Just tell her, Gav. If she doesn’t like you, just leave it be.”

Gavin groaned. “That’s what Jeremy said, but I guess you’re right. I’ll give it a go. Thanks, Geoff.”

“No problem. But remember one thing.”

“What?”

“If you’re unsafe and I become a grandfather in the next year, so help me-”

“I just want to ask her to the movies, not shag her!” Gavin ran off to his room, laughing at the barely audible yells coming from the living room.

\--

“I can’t do it.”

“Why not?”

“I’m bloody nervous, Michael!” Gavin kept pacing in the back area of the library. “I’m scared she’ll throw a book at my face or tell the principal I’ve been harassing her or-”

Michael silenced the Brit by tossing his hoodie at his face. “Shut up. It’s not like you’re the first person to ever ask a girl on a date. If it doesn’t go well, don’t worry about it! There are plenty of girls out there. And if you ask me, Arryn isn’t even that pretty.”

“Hey!” Gavin crossed his arms. “Of course, with that huge crush you have on Lindsay, you wouldn’t find Arryn attractive.”

“I don’t have a crush on Lindsay!” Michael’s face turned bright red, but before he could say anything else, Arryn walked into the library. “Okay, here’s your chance. Don’t be an idiot, just ask her to the movies tonight. It’ll be super easy.”

“Easy for you to say.” Gavin gulped, fluffing his hair out a bit. “Do I look okay!”

“Go!” The redhead shoved Gavin out of the small area they were hiding in.

Stumbling, Gavin regained his composure before walking up to the dark-haired female. “Uh, excuse me… Arryn?”

“What?” Arryn glanced at Gavin for only a moment before turning back to her phone. “I’m busy, so make this quick.”

“Well, I, uh…” Gavin glanced down at the floor, shuffling his feet. I was… wondering if you’d like to… seeamoviewithmetonight?”

Amused, the girl raised an eyebrow. “What was that?”

“Do you want to see a movie with me tonight?” he asked, clearer this time. “I mean, it’s totally cool if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, all right.”

Gavin’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Yeah, why not? You’re kinda cute. Meet me at the mall at 7?”

“Yeah, that’s great. I’ll see you then!” When Arryn turned around and left, he turned to Michael and skipped with glee towards his friend. “I’ve got a date tonight!”

Michael smiled. “See? I told you you’d be fine. Text me later and tell me how it goes!”

“Right.”

\--

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” Griffon asked, watching Gavin toss things around the house. “Hot date?”

“Yes, actually.” Gavin was wearing a pair of unripped jeans but was currently shirtless as he scouted the house for a decent shirt. “Have you seen any of my polo shirts?”

Griffon sighed. “My baby is going on his first date. Soon enough I’ll be at your wedding, giving you away to some strange girl…”

“I highly doubt we’re getting married, Griffy. It’s just a movie.” Gavin rolled his eyes, throwing a nicer-looking t-shirt on, assuming it was clean.

“That’s still a lot for me to take in in just one night.” Griffon grabbed at her chest dramatically. “Make sure you’re not out too late, okay? Any later than midnight and I want a call.”

Gavin nodded. “Promise. I’ll be back later!” He waved at Griffon before bolting out the door. He heard her call out ‘Behave yourself’ behind him, but he didn’t bother to reply. He was already running late.

It was 6:55 by the time Gavin arrived at the mall, but he chose to wait outside so he wouldn’t miss Arryn. He got some odd looks from passerby as he sat on a bench by the door, but no one bothered to talk to him. Minutes passed, and he saw no sign of Arryn. _Well, it’s just 7 now… I’ll give it a bit. Maybe she got caught in traffic…_

He started to lose hope around 7:30 and he still had heard nothing from the dark-haired female. He felt his heart to sink as he thought of other possibilities… _Maybe she forgot the time, or maybe she meant tomorrow night… Something just came up, right?_ He thought that this kind of thing only happened in movies, but as 8 finally rolled around, Gavin sighed, knowing none of those had happened.

He’d been stood up. She’d tricked him, and he fell for it.

With a shaky sigh, Gavin left the mall area, slinking back home slowly. With his thoughts still stuck on Arryn, his head would snap up when he heard a female voice, but he’d sink further into himself when he realized it wasn’t her. By the time he’d reached his house, it’d taken all his strength to keep from crying. He wasn’t five years old anymore. He couldn’t cry. Couldn’t cry. Couldn’t-

“Hey Gav, you’re home early.” Griffon’s voice sounded from the couch. He glanced at her with deep, saddened eyes. She noticed his distraught demeanor immediately and met her son at the door. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Gavin didn’t bother trying to answer; instead, he wrapped Griffon into a bone-crushing and sobbed openly, not caring if he woke Geoff.

“Shh, baby. It’s okay.” Griffon rubbed her son’s back soothingly. “Tell me what happened,” she urged, though deep down, she knew that the date didn’t go well.”

“She… she stood me up…” Gavin nuzzled into Griffon, trying to calm the sobs that wracked his body. “Wh… What did I do wrong?”

Griffon sighed. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Maybe something went wrong on her end, and she couldn’t make it. Or maybe she really did play a trick on you. I’m sorry that she didn’t show, Gav. But look at me.” Gavin peeled his face off Griffon’s shoulder, his eyes red and puffy from crying. “You are a smart, handsome young man, and that’s not going to change because you got stood up.”

“I guess.” Gavin sniffed, wiping the tears from his eyes. “This sucks… I thought she really might have liked me.”

“There will be a day when you find someone you truly want to be with. But until then, just keep your head high.” Griffon smiled as her son visibly relaxed. “You okay?”

Gavin shrugged. “I will be. Thanks, Griffy. You’re the best.”

“I know.” She chuckled. “Come on, I saved you some dinner.”


End file.
